Board Adopts New Standards for Composting Operations in RivCo

The following is a news release from the office of Supervisor John Benoit:

Riverside County has enacted stronger controls over future organics waste processing and composting facilities to better address odor and water quality issues associated with these facilities and avoid negatively impacting residents.

More of these facilities are expected to come on board to meet the state’s goal of recycling and diverting 75 percent of green waste and other organic material from landfills by 2020.

The Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted 4-0 to adopt best management practices and financial responsibility thresholds that will be imposed as conditions of approval in the county’s permitting process. The financial assurances ensure that the county is fiscally protected in the event an operator defaults or requires county assistance with the remediation or mitigation of a problem.

“Composting businesses keep waste out of landfills and provide a service to restaurants and agriculture in our region,” said Supervisor John J. Benoit. “If the business is not done right, it can create huge odor issues. We adopted a new policy that, going forward, gives us a better process to address these problems and ensure that the citizens and our interests are protected throughout Riverside County.”

At Supervisor Benoit’s request, the Riverside County Waste Management Department over the past year was tasked with researching and developing these standards. They were developed with input from refuse haulers, the Association of Compost Producers, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and the county’s agricultural, code enforcement, environmental health and planning departments.

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